GB2080123A

GB2080123A - Displaceably mounted safety ski binding

Info

Publication number: GB2080123A
Application number: GB8116370A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: SKF AB
Current assignee: SKF AB
Priority date: 1980-06-10
Filing date: 1981-05-28
Publication date: 1982-02-03
Also published as: IT1142532B; AU7144181A; ATA254681A; DE3122576A1; IT8148585A0; FR2483793A1

Abstract

The base plate (1) of a safety ski binding carries toe and heel connection means (2,3) for a ski boot (4) and is fixedly mounted at or near one end to the ski (30), e.g. by means of screws (36), and is also displaceably mounted on the ski at some other point, especially by means of a pin (37) which is slidable and rotatable in a bushing (41) of a slide member (39) so as to allow bowing of the ski. The toe connection means is spring biassed in the direction of the heel connection means (3) and is pre-stressed so as to give a suitable release force when a ski boot (4) is treaded into the binding. The slidable connection may be provided at the front end or at the rear end of the binding or at any point between the front and rear ends. The binding may also be mounted slidable in relation to the ski (30) at two points, viz. at one point against the action of a strong spring and at the second point against the action of a softer spring. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Displacably mounted safety ski binding The present invention relates to a ski binding of the safety type and comprising a base plate which at one end carries a toe connection means for a ski boot and at the opposite end a heel connection means for the ski boot. The toe connection means comprises a convexly formed support or roller which co-operates with a concavely formed portion at the toe of the ski boot, and the heel connection means comprises a rotatably mounted U-formed bracket having clamp grooves co-operating with side rollers or any other connection means at or adjacent the heel of the ski boot.

The toe roller is spring biassed in the direction towards the heel connection means and it is formed conical so that the ski boot can be tread down while sliding along the conical portion of the roller. The roller is formed with a neck which is undercut from the conical portion of the roller and in which the concavely formed toe portion of the boot engages in a locking engagement. The release of the ski binding generally follows by rotating the ski boot about the heel connection means so that the concave toe portion is twisted of the toe roller. Release also may follow by a strong actuation upwards at the toe or at the heel.

A ski binding of this type is known from the Swedish patent 78 07010-9 having publication No 409 1 76. The said previously known ski binding comprises as mentioned above a base plate on which both a toe connection roller and a heel connection bracket are mounted, and the base plate together with the toe connection means and the heel connection means is screwed to a ski at or adjacent the prompt and the rear ends respectively of the base plate. By such mounting of the ski binding the ski becomes more or less butt mounted between the connection points of the binding so that the ski can not bow upwards or downwards respectively between the said connection points. In some cases this may be disadvantageous, especially when race skiing whereby it is a wish to have the ski follow the formations of the hill as carefully as possible.

The object of the invention therefore is the problem to provide a safety ski binding of the above mentioned type which is formed and mounted at the ski so that the ski may bow upwards or downwards between the connection points to the binding. According to the invention this object is fulfilled in that the base plate is fixed mounted at the ski only at one end whereas the opposite end of the binding is mounted at the ski over a connection point which is movable in the longitudinal direction of the ski. Preferably the fixed connection point is provided at the heel portion of a base plate whereas the movable connection point is provided by a slide which is screwed to the ski in front of the base plate and which co-operates with a pin projecting from the base plate and which is slidable and slightly rotatable in a guide of the said slide means.

By mounting the binding as mentioned above the ski has a possibility of moving while bowing upwards or downwards in relation to the base plate of the ski binding between the connection points and it may even rotate slightly in relation to the base plate. As a consequence the ski may satisfactorily follow the formations of the hill and an improved hill keeping property of the ski is obtained, there is a reduced tendency of the ski to cut through the snow and thereby an increased speed during skiing may be obtained.The slidable connection at the front end or toe end of the binding, however gives a displacement forwardly and rearwardly at the front connection point as compared with the above mentioned previously known ski binding what from different viewpoints may be disadvantageous in spite of the fact that such mounting of the ski binding is still better than the fixed mounting of the binding as previously known. It may also involve certain problems that the ski binding at the front end moves slightly in relation to the ski while the ski bows upwards or downwards underneath the ski.

According to a further embodiment of the invention it is therefore suggested that the ski binding is formed and mounted at the ski so that a displacable connection is obtained at least at or adjacent the rear end of the binding. Thereby the above mentioned problems with the displacable front connection means is solved and a very good effect is obtained especially for race ski bindings.

The displacable connection between the binding and the ski may alternatively be located at some place underneath the base plate between the toe or heel portions thereof while the fixed connection point is provided at the rear end of the binding. In relation to the above mentioned apparatus having a displacable connection with a forwardly projection pin a still improved ground keeping property is obtained in that the displacable connection points is located closer to a line corresponding to the gravity center line of the body of the skier.

It is also possible to provide a displacable connection both at the rear end and at the front end of the binding. It is essential to the invention that there is at least one displacable connection between the binding and the ski and preferably at the said displacable point of connection is located a substantial distance rearwardly of the toe portion of the binding and of the ski boot.

Further characteristics and advantageous of the invention will be evident from the following detailed specification in which reference will be made to the accompanying drawings It should however, be pointed out that the described and shown embodiments of the invention are only illustrative examples which do not restrict the invention and that many different variations and modifications may be presented within. the scope of the appended claims en the drawings Figure I diagrammatically and in a perspective view shows a safety ski binding of the invention Figure 2 is a top.

view of the ski. binding according to Fig. 1 showing the essential inner parts thereof with dotted tines. Figure 3 is a side view of the ski binding of Fig 2 showing. for the sake of dearness some parts broken Figure 4 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the invention having a slidable connection at the rear end of the binding, and Figure 5 is a partially cut through side view of the ski binding of Fig 4 Figure 6 is a side view of another modified embodiment of the invention, and Figure 7 is a partially cut through side view of a still further embodiment of the invention The ski binding according to the invention as illustrated in Figs. 1-3 generally comprises a base plate 1 which carries both a toe connection means 2 and a heel connection means 3 for a ski boot 4. The base plate 1 is formed as a box having a substantially even upper surface 5 encasing some vital portions for the actuation of the toe connection means 2. The base plate may be solid or hollow made of metal, plastic or any other suitable material and having recesses for the inner movable parts. Adjacent the rear end the base plate is formed with a slept down portion 6 for mounting of a heel connection means 3.

The upper surface of the heel connection means extends substantially on level with the upper surface 5 of the base plate.

The heel connection means 3 is made as a substantially U-formed bracket having a bottom and from the bottom upwardly projecting side plates 8 formed with a obliquely up wards-forwards directing slot 9 in which side connection means like side rollers 10 at the heel of the ski boot 4 are adapted to engage.

The slot 9 has a horizontal bottom edge but an obliquely upwards directed upper edge so that a release may follow in that the ski boot is pulled upwards from the heel The heel connection means 3 is mounted freely rotata ble about a central pin 1 1 mounted in the base plate 1.

In the imbodiment of Figs. 1-3 the toe connection means is a rotatable roller 2 having a lower horizontal cylindrical disc 12, from the said disc 12 a projecting narrow neck 1 3 which is widened to an upwardly bevelled cone I 4 against which a concavely formed portion 15 of the ski boot is adapted to slide while treading the boot into the binding The base plate which is preferably made of aluminum, plastic or any other suitable mate- rial has a recess 1 6 provided from underneath. The recess provides an encasing frame 17 in which a slide 18 is displacably mounted.The toe roller 2 is by a vertical shaft 1 9 mounted in the slide 18. The roller is rotatable on the said shaft 19 and extends through an elongated bore 2Q in which the shaft 19 together with the roller 2 can be moved from the illustrated rear position, which is a stop position, to a position spaced to the left as shown in the drawing which position is taken when the ski boot 4 has been tread into the binding.

The frame 17 has a central inner yoke 21 through a clamp screw 22 extends. The clamp screw 22 is treaded into a spring carrier 23 which on opposite sides of yoke 21 carries a spring pac 24. The springs 24 preferably is a pac of leaf springs. The spring pacs 24 are kept under tention by a tention wire 25 ex- tending from one spring pac forwardly and jn an U4ormation through the slide 18, rotund the shaft 19 of the roller 2 and back to rear end of the other spring pac. The tention. wire 25 is over washers 26 fixed mounted at the ends of each spring pac.

By pulling the clamp screw 22 the spring carrier 23 is pulled towards the yoke 21 whereby the spring pacs 24 are tentioned.

Thereby different spring tentions for the toe roller 24 may be obtained giving any intended release force.

Just in front of the stepped down portion 6 of the base plate there is a doubble-conical or diabolo-formed vertical through slot 27 the rear cone portion of which is preferably lined with a plastic lining, for instance a self-lubricating plastic sleeve 28. In the slot 27 a brake 29 is mounted. The brake 29 is made as an angularily bare of some resilient material providing a two-armed lever which is rotatable about a shaft extending sideways through the base plate adjacent the rear end of the rear cone portion of the slot 27. One lever arm provides two brake arms 31 extending rearwards and/or rearwards-downwards aside of the base plate 1 and of the ski 30. At the outer ends the brake arms 31 are formed with brake sleeves 32 of some suitable mate-.

rial like plastic. From the arms 21 the bare is bent angularily and extends through material of the base plate in which the bare provides pivot shafts 33 for the brake. The other lever arm provides a forwards and/or forwardsupwards directed clamp 34 of a size which may be received in the front portion of the slot 27. From the longitudinal center of the brake the pivot shafts 33 extend outwardsrearwards and addition thereto slightly downwards thereby providing a spring actuation of the brake tending to press the brake to the brake position as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. By making the brake slightly prestressed it tends in non-actuated state to rotate in the clock wise direction as illustrated in Fig. 3 while sliding along the sides of the plastic sleeve 28.For folding the brake in or up it is necessary to press down the clamp 34 whereby the branches of the clamp slide towards the narrowest portion of the double conical slot so as to be compressed against the spring action. Such release of the brake is provided by treading the boot 4 into the binding, whereby the bottom of the boot presses the clamp 34 down and lifts the brake arms 31.

The base plate 1 with the toe connection means 2, the heel connections means 3 and the brake 29 is mounted slightly spaced above the upper surface 35 of the ski 30 by means of screws 36 and distance sleeves at the rear end of the binding, for instance at or adjacent the pivot shaft 11 of the heel connection means 3. At the front end the base plate is formed with a pin 37 projecting forwardly and having a ball formed head 38 of a suitable radius. The pin 37 is actually displacable and rotatable in a front slide 39 which is screwed directly to the ski 30. The slide 39 is at rear end formed a bore 40 having a slide bushing 41 in which the head 38 of the pin is freely displacable.The said mounting of the ski binding makes it possible for the ski 30 to bow both upwards and downwards in relation to the base plate and also to rotate what is of importance in order to have the ski follow the hill as well as possible when down hill skiing, especially when using the binding on easily bendable skiis.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 the binding is fixed mounted at the ski by means of a screw joint 36' adjacent the front end of the binding. At the rear end the binding is slidably and rotatably mounted in a slide joint 39' which is screwed to the ski 30 rearwardly of the base plate 1 and which has a bore 40' extending in the longitudinal direction of the ski and which may be lined with a friction reducing sleeve.

At the rear end of the base plate 1 a pin 37' projects which at the end is formed with a substantially ball formed head 38' which is slidably and rotatably received in the bore 40' of the slide 39'. The ski 30 is free to bow upwards or downwards underneath the base plate between the front screw joint 36' and the rear slide 39', and the ski also may rotate slightly in relation to the fixed point provided by the front screw joint 36' and the movable point provided by the slide connection means 39'.

For some other purposes it may be suitable to have a slidable and rotatable connection means located on a line substantially corresponding to the average line of gravity point of the skier. Such line can be supposed to be located somewhere between a vertical line through the toe connection means 2 and the heel connection means 3. For such embodiment the slide connection means should be mounted underneath or possibly aside of the binding between the toe connection means 2 and the heel connection means 3. Such an embodiment is illustrated in Fig. 6, in which a fixed screw joint 36" between the base plate 1 and the ski 30 is provided at or adjacent the heel connection means 3, whereas the binding is mounted by means of a slide 39" at the said average line of gravity. The pin 37" of the base plate is angularily bent and is slidable and rotatably received in the slide 39".It is obvious that a relative movement between the slide 39" and the pin 37" becomes shorter if the distance between the connection points 36" and 39" is made shorter and that the operators may be modified accordingly.

For other purposes it may be suitable to mount the binding slidable and rotatable as a complete on the ski. Such an embodiment is illustrated in Fig. 7. In this case the binding is mounted with a first slide 42 at the rear end thereof as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and somewhere at a forwardly located point the binding is mounted by means of a second slide 43 of substantially the same type as shown in Figs. 1-3 or Fig. 6. For keeping the binding in the intended position in the longitudinal direction of the ski 30 a spring 44 of the first slide 42 is intended to bias the rear pin 37' forwardly, and correspondingly the front slide 43 has a spring 45 which biasses the front pin 37" rearwardly.Depending on which slide is wanted to give the largest action the springs 44 and 45 are provided differently strong, but normally it can be considered most suitable to form the front spring 45 stronger than the rear spring 44 so that the main movement is provided at the rear portion of the binding.

For preventing unintentional rotation of the base plate 1 in relation to the ski 30 slide buttons 46 can be mounted between the base plate 1 and the ski 30 someplace between the toe connection means and the heel connection means depending on where a rotation of the binding in relation to the ski is wanted. It is also possible to provide the binding so that the main longitudinal displacement of the ski in relation to the binding is received at the rear end of the binding and that the rotation is provided forwardly from the rear end by providing the slide buttons 46 at the rear end of the binding or vice versa.

When using the ski binding according to the invention the ski boot 4 is with the side connection means 10 thereof moved into the slots 9 of the side plates 8 whereupon the ski boot with the toe portion is tread down while the concave portion 1 5 thereof slides along the cone portion 14 of the toe connection means and snaps into the neck portion 1 3.

This is possible since the toe connection means 4 is reciliently mounted and moves forwardly while treading the boot into the binding until the concave toe portion 1 5 of the boot snaps over the cone edge to the neck 13.

If wanted treading of the boot into the binding also may be accomplished by firstly putting the toe portion of the boot into the toe -.onnection means 2 and thereafter treading down the heel of the boot, and in this case the side plates 8 are formed with an entering edge 47 as indicated with the dotted lines of Fig. 7.

As mentioned above the ski is capable of moving in the londituinal direction and to rotate slightly in relation to the binding while skiing, whereby the ski in the best possible way may follow the formation of the hill and adapted itself to the skiing style of the skier.

Release of the binding may follow in serveral different ways, manely by lifting the heel so that the side rollers 10 slide out of the slot 9 or by rotating the toe portion of the boot so as to slidably twist out of the toe roller 2. In special embodiment of the toe connection means release may also be accomplished by moving the toe portion of the boot straight upwards. As soon as the binding has released and the boot is removed from the base plate 1 and brake 29 is automatically rotated to its brake position depending on its own spring actuation so that the brake arms 31 prevent movement of the ski.

Claims

1. Safety ski binding comprising a base plate, which carries both a toe connection means and a heel connection means for connection of corresponding portions of a ski boot, characterised in that the ski binding is substantially fixed mounted at the ski at or adjacent one end, whereas the ski binding is actually movably mounted in the ski at a second point.

2. Ski binding according to Claim 1, characterised in that the base plate is fixed mounted in the ski at or adjacent the heel connection means, and in that the base plate at the front end thereof is slidably and rotatably mounted in a slide.

3. Ski binding according to Claim 2, characterised in that the slide is mounted slightly in front of the base plate and in that the base plate is formed with a forwardly projecting pin which is received in a bore in the slide.

4. Ski binding according to Claim 3, characterised in that the forwardly projecting pin of the base plate has a ball formed head which is slidably and rotatably received in actual bore of the slide.

5. Ski binding according to Claim 1, characterised in that the ski binding is slidable mounted on the ski at a place located rearwardly of the front end of the ski binding.

6. Ski binding according to Claim 5, characterised in that the ski binding is slidably mounted on the ski at or adjacent the rear end of the binding.

7. Ski binding according to Claim 6, characterised in that the binding is both slidably and rotatably mounted on the ski at or adjacent the rear end of the binding, whereas it is fixed mounted at the front end of the binding.

8. Ski binding according to Claim 1, characterised in that the binding is slidably and rotatably mounted on the ski at a point corresponding to the average line of gravity for the skier.

9. Ski binding according to Claim 8, characterised in that the binding is fixed mounted on the ski at or adjacent the rear end of the binding.

10. Ski binding according to Claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the slide and rotate connection means is located under the base- plate and behind the toe connection means.

11. Ski binding according to Claim 1, characterised in that the binding at or adjacent the front end is slidable against the action of a strong spring whereas the binding at the rear end is slidable against the action of a softer spring.

1 2. Ski binding according to Claim 11, characterised in that slide buttons are provided at the front end of the binding preventing a rotation of the binding in relation to the ski at the front.

1 3. Ski binding substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying drawings.